Renowned Islamic scholar, educationist and former Shari’ah court judge of Nigeria, Dr. Sheikh Ahmed Lemu, OFR, breathed his last in Minna, the capital of Niger State, on December 24. He was 91.
Born in Lemu village of Niger State, the late Sheikh was a revered expert in the Arabic Language, Islamic Studies, Shari’a Jurisdiction and education.
He was educated at London University’s School of African and Oriental Studies where he obtained the certificate of General Education (Advanced Level) in History, Arabic, Hausa and Persian Languages in 1961, and Bachelor’s Degree (Honors) in African and Oriental Studies in 1964.
In a career spanning over 50 years, the late Lemu taught the Arabic language, the English language and Islamic Studies at various schools. He was appointed Senior Inspector of Education in 1970 and Chief Inspector of Education for Sokoto State in North West Nigeria between 1971–1973. He also served as Technical Director (1974-1975) and Director of Educational Planning (1975-1976) in the State. In 2009, he was appointed Consultant at Fountain University in Osogbo, Nigeria.
Lemu has also served in the Judiciary, first as a Shar’ia judge at the Court of Appeals in Sokoto and Niger (1976 – 1977) then as Chief Shari’ah Judge at the Court of Appeals in Niger State (1976–1991).
Dr. Shaikh Ahmed Lemu was also involved in efforts to tackle security challenges and Islamic extremism, especially in in Northern Nigeria. He established the Islamic Dawah (Call) Institute to combat extremism and was a prominent defender of rights of Muslim women. He was also the Founder and President of the Islamic Education Trust in Nigeria and a member of several other humanitarian societies and endowments that serve Muslims in his country.
He was conferred with the Nigerian National Order in 1999 and 2001; Honorary Doctorate Degree from Uthman Danfodiyo University (1996); Honorary Doctorate Degree from Osogbo University (2011) and Honorary Doctorate Degree from Al-Hilal University (2013), King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam (2014).
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Image with caption: Dr. Yusuf Salih Karaca (L) with President Tayyip Erdogan
Dr. Yusuf Salih Karaca
Dr. Yusuf Salih Karaca, a distinguished scholar of Turkey, died in Istanbul on December 24. He was 84.
At 84, Dr. Karaca looked quite robust. But he caught Covid-19 and was on ventilator for a while before he breathed his last.
Dr. Karaca studied at Nadwatul Ulema and Lucknow University. He translated several books of Allama Shibli, Allama Syed Sulaiman Nadvi, Allama Iqbal, Maulana Syed Abul A’la Maudoodi, and Maulana Abul Hasan Ali Nadvi into the Turkish language. His popular translation works include Maulana Maudoodi’s Tafheem al-Qur’ān, Allama Iqbal’s Bal-e-Jibril, and Maulana Abul Hasan Ali Nadvi’s Insani Zindagi per Muslamano ke Uruj-o-Zawal ka Asar.
He did a lot of charity work in India and around the world. He was teacher of President Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul University.